ABSTRACT This application requests partial funding for the 2019 Pittsburgh Rust Belt Microbial Conference. Our goal is to develop a biennial symposium that is open to attendance nationally, but that focuses on bringing together the microbial community from research institutions, training institutions, and medical centers in Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Allegheny General Hospital, as well as Allegheny College, Carlow University, and Chatham University) and nearby cities (including Buffalo, Morgantown, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Columbus). The conference will be open to national attendance but will promote inclusion of undergraduate and regional institutions and hospital staff who may otherwise have limited access to national/international conferences on human pathogens and microbiome. Our goal is to present cutting edge clinical, translational, and basic investigations on human pathogens and the microbiome. The 2019 Conference will be centered on personalized medicine in the context of mucosal microbiomes and their evolution and pathogenic potential. The conference brings together top scientists from multiple disciplines and institutions to advance this vital field while striving for an inclusive meeting that actively involves junior scientists.